Dial feed control for tracers



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DIAL FEED CONTROL FOR TRACERS Filed Aug.' 6, 1953 1N VEN TOR. MALTER oems/(E1 BY m A T'roRMEY United States Patent DIAL FEED CONTROL FOR TRACERS Walter Dobleske, Ferndale, Mich., assignor to Manuel Turchan, doing business as Turchan Follower Machine Company, Detroit, Mich.

Application August 6, 1953, Serial No. 372,761 1 Claim. (Cl. 137-553 ,This invention relates to a dial feed control for a tracer mechanism, and more particularly to a tracer construction incorporating a manually rotatable dial for efiecting controlled longitudinal adjustments of the valve within the tracer body.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a positive acting manual'control for the valve within a hydraulic tracer,

It is the further object of'this invention to provide a calibrateddial in conjunction with such manual control, whereby said dial may be rotated to pre-determined positions of adjustmentcorresponding to the desired direction and rate of movement of a hydraulic motor, controlled by said tracer.

These and other objects will be seen from the following specification and claims in conjunction with the appended drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the present tracer construction;

and

Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 22 of Fig. 1, on an enlarged scale.

It will be understood that the above drawing illustrates merely a preferred embodiment of the invention, and that other embodiments are contemplated within the scope of the claim hereafter set forth.

Referring to the drawing, the present tracer includes the hollow body 11 within which is secured sleeve 12, which has formed therethrough a series of opposed and longitudinally spaced transverse passages 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19 for conducting fluid to and from its interior.

The tracer body has a plurality of longitudinally spaced transverse conduits 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 and 26, which extend outwardly from said tracer body and at their inner ends are adapted for communication respectively with the aforementioned passages 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19.

The present tracer construction is adapted for con trolling the operation of a hydraulic motor, such as the cylinder 27 with reciprocal piston 28, which may be secured to some part of a machine tool, as for example, the workpiece and pattern supporting table for effecting tracer controlled vertical adjustments thereof.

There is provided a hydraulic unit 29 which contains a suitable pump P in conjunction with a fluid sump, the outlet of said pump being connected to conduit 23, which is indicated diagrammatically in Fig. 2 as an extension of the corresponding conduit in the tracer body.

Pressure fluid is thus delivered through passages 16 into valve recess 33, and in the position of valve 30 shown in Fig. 2, said fluid is blocked within the interior of said sleeve.

The valve 30 slidably adjustable within the said sleeve has a plurality of longitudinally spaced annular recesses 31, 32, 33, 34 and 35 adapted for registry with the various sleeve passages 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19 respectively, in the manner hereafter described.

The pressure fluid delivered to the central recess 33 of said valve will be delivered to either of the passages 15 or 17, depending upon whether there is an upward or a downward adjustment of said valve within the sleeve.

If the movement of the valve is upwardly of Fig. 2, the pressure fluid within recess 33 passes through passage 15 and through conduit 22 to the upper end of cylinder 27 causing a downward movement of table T forming a part of the machine tool, for illustration. Exhaust fluid from the'opposite end of said cylinder passes through conduit 24, passage 17, and in the upward position of adjustment of said valve into recess 34, thence outwardly through passage 18 and conduit 25 back to the storage sump within the hydraulic unit 29.

On the other hand, if there be a movement of valve 30 in the opposite direction below the neutral position of adjustment shown in Fig. 2, the pressure fluid in recess 33 will pass outwardly through passage 17 and conduit 24 to the lower end of cylinder 27. This will elfect an upward movement of piston 28 and the workpiece supporting table T connected thereto. Exhaust fluid from the upper end of said cylinder returns through conduit 22 and passage 15, and in the downward position of said valve, passes into recess 32, and thence outwardly through passage 14 and conduit 21 to the storage sump within hydraulic unit 29.

Any seepage of fluid between valve 30 and sleeve 12 axially thereof, will pass into the valve recesses 31 and 35 and will flow outwardly through sleeve passages 13 and 19 respectively, and thence through conduits 20 and 20', which communicate with a vacuum producing unit V upon the interior of the hydraulic unit 29. This provides a very simplified method of scavenging oil seepage andpreventing the same from escaping from either end of the said sleeve or tracer body.

The tracer body 11 has depending therefrom the axially arranged barrel 36, which is threaded to and depends from the lower end of sleeve 12. Bearing race. 37 positioned within the lower end of said barrel, has an arcuate interior surface cooperatively receiving the ball bearings 38 upon the bearing ring 39 secured to the tracer spindle 40, said spindle having at its lower end a pattern contactor 42.

Set screw 41 is threaded within the lower end of barrel 36 for adjustably supporting and securing the ball bearings 38, whereby the spindle 40 is suspended from said barrel axially thereof and adapted for universal tilting movements.

The upper end of spindle 40 has an axial conical recess 43, which receives the ball 44, the upper portion of which is received within a corresponding axial conical recess 45 formed in the lower end of valve 30.

The circular cap 46 is threaded down into the upper end of sleeve 12 and has a central cavity therein for receiving coiled spring 47, which bears down upon the upper end of valve 30 normally urging the same downwardly.

The elongated stem 48 extends loosely through a central opening in cap 46 and at its lower end is threadedly secured to said valve at 49.

Knurled circular handle 54 receives the upper end of stem 48 and is secured thereto by the nut 55, whereby rotation of said handle will effect a corresponding rotation of valve 30.

Dial 50 loosely is secured and journaled on stem 48, has a depending threaded shank 51 which threadedly engages and extends into an axial threaded recess formed in the top plate 52, which is secured upon tracer body 11 as by the screws 53, being spaced above the sleeve cap 46.

Top plate 52 has an upright recess formed therein adapted to receive the detent 56, which is urged upwardly by the coiled spring 57 and which carries the ball 58 adapted for registry within the recess 59 formed within the bottom surface of dial 50.

Plate 52 also has a second upright recess adapted to receive the cylindrical shank 61 of the indicator button 69, which is spaced from and closely adjacent to the periphery of dial 5% Said dial has formed in its top surface a plurality of calibrations 63 adapted for registry with the scored line 62 formed in the top surface of indicator button 60.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the recess 59 corresponds to the zero indication of said dial which in turn corresponds to the neutral positioning of valve 30 in sleeve 12, so that there is no flow of pressure fluid from said sleeve and tracer body through either of the conduits 22 or 24-.

For normal tracing operation, with dial 5d screwed inwardly, the valve stem 43 is free for axial adjustments independent of said dial. Under such condition, the contactor 42 at the lower end of the spindle is adapted to register with portions of a pattern P carried upon the Work supporting table T, and by its reactions to the surface of said pattern controls the up and down movements of valve 30, in view of the mounting of spindle 40 within the lower end of barrel 36.

When it is desired to place the valve under manual control, disc 59 is threaded outwardly to engage element 5 which is secured to stem 48, further rotary movements of dial 50 will supportably effect controlled vertical adjustments of said valve to thereby regulate the direction of movement of piston 28, as well as its speed of movement inasmuch as the amount of longitudinal movement of said valve from the neutral position of Fig. 2, indicates the amount of pressure fluid which will flow through the valve passages above described.

The calibrations 63 with respect to the scored indicator line 62 on indicator button 69 provide a positive means of regulating the direction and rate of feed movements.

Having described my invention, reference should now be had to the claim which follows for determining the scope thereof.

1 claim:

In a tracer having a hollow body, a longitudinally movable valve therein adjacent one end, a closure plate with an axial threaded aperture secured upon said end of the body, a stem secured at one end to said valve and extending axially therefrom through and beyond said plate, an enlarged head on the outer end of said stern, a positive valve control consisting of a dial having a depending shank, both loosely positioned axially around said stem, said dial spaced outwardly of said plate and supportably engaging said head and said shank extending into and threadedly engaging said plate, a coiled spring within said body normally urging said valve axially inward of said one end of said body and biasing said head into contact with the outer face of said dial, whereby rotary movements of said dial cfiect longitudinal controlled axial adjustments of said valve, said dial being circularly calibrated, an indicator button mounted on said plate adjacent the periphery of said dial and having a registry line secured thereon for cooperation with said calibrations, said plate having a recess in its outer surface, and a spring urged ball detent within said recess and projecting therefrom, said dial having a depression in one surface cooperable with said detent at a predetermined position of rotary adjustment of said dial.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 369,265 Thomas Aug. 30, 1887 961,466 Shade June 14, 1910 1,227,078 Rutz May 22, 1917 1,328,590 Royce Jan. 20, 1920 2,126,991 Griswald Aug. 16, 1938 2,197,954 Turpin Apr. 23, 1940 2,331,817 Turchan et a1. Oct. 12, 1943 2,536,505 Kircher Jan. 2, 1951 2,565,401 Smith Aug. 21, 1951 2,586,654 Hoelscher Feb. 19, 1952 2,622,616 Humes Dec. 23, 1952 2,787,437 Turchan et a1. Apr. 2, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 125,990 Great Britain Apr. 23, 1919 521,899 Great Britain of 1940 

